Yeah, the groundskeeper who's been there for decades upon decades wouldn't know where the dangerous terrain was by heart.

This...

Mister Fandango wrote:

But, somehow, the decrepit old church they could see in the distance once the sun was up was somehow safer than the tunnels they likely wouldn't have had a clue even existed.

And this.

Even if the flashlight had been necessary, and it wasn't, so long as the beam was pointed down at a 45-degree angle, away from the house at all times, it probably wouldn't have been a problem. But the guy was waving it all around.

So it's a cold night (perhaps winters night), you're walking over uneven ground, the light from the fire might not cast much light ahead of you due to the uneven ground. So you might use a torch and sweep ahead of you to see if there is a safer/easier path.

__________________
On the continent of wild endeavour in the mountains of solace and solitude there stood the citadel of the time lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe looking down on the galaxies below sworn never to interfere only to watch.